In our place, everyone on the hangar floor does the job of a thchincian weather licensed or not. They seek our MM and IPC references, research problems and tasks, and to the most part, get on with the job unsupervised. But we are not allowed to call ourselves 'Technicans' but 'Tradespersons'. How demeaning is that? To my mind 'Mechanic' is the bloke in Quickfit who will change your exhaust pipe. He will work under supervision and instructions from his supervisor. He will not be that familiar with the administration side of the job, but he will be good with spanners and hammers. 'Technician' on the other hand, will know a bit more about the job, the planning and prioritising of work; he will be educated to a high standard, and will be an expert in his field. If he doesn't know for sure how to go about doing a job in a certain way, then he will be able to find out without too much bother. But as for 'Tradesperson', the term conjures up images of the bloke knocking on your door, asking if you want your lawn mower blade sharpening. A Jack of All Trades so to speak. I feel that this goes a long way explaining exactly what our management think of us. But at the end of the day (how I hate that expression), we in the business of maintaining aircraft have qualifications in one discipline. ENGINEERING!
[This message has been edited by jetfueldrinker (edited 09 March 2001).]